c
 




  
 

   
      

   




Whether it is a dance show where lesser-known faces of telly world vie for the best dancer tag or the Big
Brother house in which racial slurs and catfights are a part of the process to decide winners, much goes into
presenting a reality show as real.

The basic recipe remains the same as soaps: Flirtation, betrayal, tears, bitching and scheming, only it's presented
as reality.

Wannabes and sometime-somewhere celebs living out unreal, melodramatic lives is the mantra to ensure the
audience is glued to their screens and the moolah keeps coming in. But does that mean script enters reality to
keep the TRPs zooming?

Playing by the script

Racial barbs against Shilpa Shetty in Big Brother sent the TRPs soaring. Even in its Indian version Bigg Boss,
the scheming and tears continue unabated.

Baba Sehgal, who was voted out of the show, says, "Most of the reality shows cash in on the emotional drama of
the participants and the viewers. The drama-quotient is unrealistic in these shows."

The reality show brotherhood, however, is quick to defend their spontaneity. "Nothing is scripted,"says Deepak
Tijori, who has also been evicted from Bigg Boss.

"However, the channel is definitely riding on the dramatised faces of various characters, which have been
created for the show."

So are the audience taken for a ride when they believe that there is love blossoming between Aryan Vaid and
Anupama Varma or when Rakhi Sawant declared her love interest for the first time on the show?

"It's true that the participants are programmed to show certain emotions and behaviour. But, so far as I'm
concerned, everything shown between me and Anupama was real,"says Aryan. But talk about the romance
continuing in real life, and he says, "I feel it is premature and unfair to talk about where the relationship will
lead."

Game shows and talent hunts have their own brand of emotional contrivance. A Diwakar, a Sameer or a
Sanchaita brings tears to the eyes of anchor Shaan, while judges Alka Yagnik, Abhijeet and Bappi Lahiri add
more flavour by having regular tiffs or serious arguments over a contestant's grading.

Singer Shaan, who anchored Lil Champs, says, "Our show had children who aimed to perform. It is not possible
to make them emote. Though it was a reality show, we performed in fr ont of 300-odd people, and we couldn't
possibly make all of them shed a tear."

From the editing table

The reality show fraternity says that the emotions aren't clever acting, just clever editing. A spokesperson for
Sony Television says, "We do not guard the artistes.

Each participant is free to react and we capture various shades of their changing moods."So, even if everything
is for real, the channel airs it selectively.

Which is also Aryan's point: "It's the editing table where the scripting is do ne. They can always show whatever
is dramatic, to retain the audience's interest."Agrees actor -anchor Pooja Bedi, who was part of reality dance
show Jhalak Dikhla Ja, "The moment and emotions are true and you play yourself, but the power lies with the
channel ± on the editing table, they can create drama out of reality."
Read more: How real are reality shows? - The Times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi-times/How-real-are-reality-
shows/articleshow/1473547.cms#ixzz10H3zSFYY

In today's world, reality TV shows are popping up everywhere. Over 70 reality shows have
been produced to date according to a popular website. The popularity of these shows and
their high ratings have attracted many people's attention and just about every TV network in
America now airs some kind of reality show.

A reality TV show has real world people instead of paid actors and actresses. These shows
are supposed to portray real life situations and events that affect people's lives. However,
participants of reality TV shows are sometimes willing to go outside of their boundaries and
do things that they would not necessarily do in their normal lives, without the cameras
following their every move.

Some reality TV participants eat really disgusting, horrible strange things and perform
potentially life threatening stunts in pursuit of monetary gain. Other participants are put in a
house and expected to live in harmony with total strangers. These participants are usually
under a lot of pressure when their characters clash.

Thousands upon thousands of Americans are watching reality TV shows every day. For some
people, these shows help them realize that their lives are not all that bad after all. It helps
them see that they are not the only ones with problems and dysfunctional lives and families.

Reality TV shows have affected society in many different ways. Some audiences get hooked
on these shows because they help them escape their own real lives. The shows vary in theme
and material and every show is designed to attract the biggest possible audience. The bigger
the audience, the more money the shows make.

Some Reality TV may not be quite as real as we may like to think. Take the case of the hated
apprentice contender Omarosa for example. According to a Time magazine article, she may
have been the victim of reality TV editors. Some reality TV shows are edited to be dramatic
and some quotes may actually be manufactured. Clashes and ugly feuds between the reality
stars may be constructed and some parts of the shows may also be completely edited and cut
out so they don't make the final show that people see on TV. Some critics actually charge that
reality TV is not so real and that these shows may be far more manipulative than we think.

According to a poll by CNN, 57% of 1016 adults believe that Reality TV shows provide a
distorted picture of events while another 23% say the shows are "totally phoney". The
amount of pressure for TV ratings pushes people to make the show more interesting.

When all is said and done, some people on the reality shows say that they were unfairly
represented and the reality taken out of the show therefore making the show pure
entertainment. However, participants of these shows are given warnings and they have to sign
extensive and detailed legal waivers that protect the network from any liability if someone
gets hurt on the show.

The increase in demand for these reality TV shows is inevitable and the participants will be
pushed to their limits for the bottom line. This happens to be ratings and entertainment.

Œ
  

         

  

  
 


  
 
   
        
    

 
   
 
   !        
 
   
  
"
     o
 
  
     
      
 



 
  

 
!
 
 
 
 




# !     




$%$&
  
   
 
    

 ' 
 (
 )'(*               


 
  !
 
  

! 


%
    

    
  
  
  "

 &  
 

!

!  ! !  !     
     
 !
 
  
  
  
  
!



  
   
       +  

 

  
 

                  
       


 
+ 

,

   
      

 !      
    

  
 
       

 
  !   
    + 
   

    

 
 



 


       

 
 
 
   
    
 ' 
 
 
       
  
 -      
 ! 
    .
 
  

 
    
    +
"

  


  


  
     
    
   ! 

  
/  
 
    
  !     
       


01


  
- 
/ 


 ,

     
 
  

  2      $
+
! 
  
   
 
 
  
   
 + + 
 

' 
           
 
   

       
 
            
  
    

!        !      
 
    



        3$4  
  56  
   
    !  
 
  $!      
   


   .
  
      

 
 
  
  

             
   
 !



 57  
  



-


,
 
   58 
 
 
 
 
    96  1